Dozens Missing Following Boat Fire Off Santa Cruz Island in California, Officials Say

The United States Coast Guard is searching for 34 missing people after a boat caught fire just off Santa Cruz Island in Southern California early Monday morning, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department said.

Five people were also rescued from the boat, one of whom was being transported to shore with moderate injuries, the spokesman said.

The scuba diving boat was anchored north of the island when it caught fire, according to Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol Officer Nathan Alldredge. The boat was named “Conception,” he said.

The fire department responded to the fire at about 3:28 a.m. The United States Coast Guard in Los Angeles/Long Beach did not immediately respond to a request for comment.